I use a sort of a home-made box call, but I didn't make it.
About 45 years ago, I was living in Jasper, TX. The local Parks and Wildlife biologist showed up at my home one evening with an old cedar fence post that he had found. By old, I mean well aged and dried--an unusual find in deep East Texas. He said that it would make great turkey calls, but had no way to cut it like he needed. I had him give me the dimensions he wanted.
One of my uncles was a retired petroleum engineer who had a retirement home over on Toledo Bend Reservoir, and he had a completely equipped wood shop. I took it over and we cut around a dozen blanks out the heart of that old fence post. I could tell that he really wanted one of those turkey calls, but he was too polite to ask. I took the blanks back to my friend Billy, and told him that I needed two calls out of the deal.
Several months later, Billy brought me back two finely crafted, hand-finished box calls. I took one back to my Uncle Bill and showed him how to use it. He was not a hunter, but to his great delight, he did call several turkeys into his yard.
I have used mine to call turkeys in Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and New Mexico. The sound just seems to get better every year!
